Dr. Evil vs. the Books - Give each student a Popsicle stick with one a green happy face on one side and a red unhappy face on the other. Dress up as a doctor and using old and damaged books show students things that you should do and things you should NEVER do with books. The only way the students can stop the Dr. Evil behavior towards the book is to show the red unhappy face side of their Popsicle stick. If the doctor is doing something good, they show the green happy face side. Things to show with green side: slow page turning, turning pages at the corners, using a bookmark, sitting quietly in your own space, placing a book on a table or in backpack when done with it, etc. Things to show with red side: dog earring pages, coloring in the book, using scissors on the book, using the book as a clipboard, fast page turning, using things other than bookmarks as a bookmark like a pencil or marker, eating/drinking next to the book, etc.
Read "No, David!" by David Shannon - Students come up with things David CAN do and CAN'T do in the library to books. You can either make a class book OR a large display to hang up around the library.
Have students view the Animals Should Definitely Not Borrow Library Books PPT. Make sure they know that sometimes people can act like animals too when it comes to taking care of books.
I then give them the following notes to jot down on a notecard regarding how to read Spine Labels and also the Computer catalog. They keep this card in their folder and will be asked to refer to it throughout the year:
E = Everybody
92 = Biography
#s = Nonfiction
FIC = Fiction/chapter books
Here are cards you can print out and use to find the spine labels of books.
Example of a spine label =
E ----- Tells you what SECTION to look in
BRE ---- 1st 3 letters of author's last name & tells you what SHELF to look in
When talking about the Nonfiction section, we skim over Dewey and just mention him as a person who helped organize the library better. For example, he made sure that all the books about dogs are by books about dogs and motorcycles by motorcycles, etc. I then tell them he assigned each subject a number, so they could be by each other on the shelf. You don't have to know those numbers, but you do have to
Lessons on Choosing Just Right or Good Fit Books:
You can bake small cookies or make lemonade for each students to try: 1 set has too much sugar, 1 set doesn't have any sugar, and 1 set has just the right amount of sugar. Give one cookie or one cup to every student. Have them talk about what they've just tasted. Talk about how this relates to books. Some books are going to be too hard (too sugary and not taste right). Some books are going to be too easy (not enough sugar and not taste right). Some books are going to be just right (just the right amount of sugar and taste really good). Then model model model what picking a just right book should look like.
You can give 3 students a different outfit to try on: 1 student has a shirt, pants, and shoes that are too big (husband's clothes). 1 student has a shirt, pants, and shoes that are too small (baby clothes/shoes). 1 student wears exactly what they have on. Ask the students to describe each example student and how they relate to books. 1 student is reading something too hard, 1 is reading something too easy, and 1 is reading something just right. Then model model model what picking a just right book should look like.
Lesson on Finding "Stuff" in the Library:
- When teaching the difference between where to find fiction and nonfiction books, I usually teach them the following rap:
Numbers NonfictionNumbers Nonfiction
Fiction All letters
Fiction All Letters
I then give them the following notes to jot down on a notecard regarding how to read Spine Labels and also the Computer catalog. They keep this card in their folder and will be asked to refer to it throughout the year:
E = Everybody
92 = Biography
#s = Nonfiction
FIC = Fiction/chapter books
Example of a spine label =
E ----- Tells you what SECTION to look in
BRE ---- 1st 3 letters of author's last name & tells you what SHELF to look in
When talking about the Nonfiction section, we skim over Dewey and just mention him as a person who helped organize the library better. For example, he made sure that all the books about dogs are by books about dogs and motorcycles by motorcycles, etc. I then tell them he assigned each subject a number, so they could be by each other on the shelf. You don't have to know those numbers, but you do have to
Lessons on Choosing Just Right or Good Fit Books: